


Tricks of the Trade

by Sabulum



Series: The Prompt Fic of Mischief [9]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Frigga, Crack, Gen, Hair Braiding, I Don't Even Know, Random Spaceballs Reference, Singing, Warning: Loki, based on the trailer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-26
Updated: 2013-04-26
Packaged: 2017-12-09 12:51:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/774396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sabulum/pseuds/Sabulum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was Mother's idea, and that's the only reason Thor agreed to it. Well... that and his desire to save Jane. And maybe other things.</p>
<p>Thor enlists Loki's help in the fight against Malekith.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tricks of the Trade

**Author's Note:**

> I was writing another fic inspired by the Thor 2 trailer, but it got too angsty. So... this happened.
> 
> Don't consider this a prediction so much as my brain exploding all over the keyboard. It will likely be made AU by the movie.
> 
> **Title:** Tricks of the Trade  
>  **Genre:** General  
>  **Rating:** T (for... stuff?)  
>  **Timeline:** Thor 2  
>  **Characters:** Thor, Loki, mentions of others  
>  **Warnings:** Un-beta-ed, like 99% of my fic. Angsty crack? ...Cracky angst? With references to blues music and a Spaceballs joke I don't even know. (Also note that I'm using the Norse-ified names for realms and such. I got in the habit after another fic project, so let me know if you find it annoying!)
> 
> **Prompt:** _The Thor 2 trailer. 'Nuff said._

The Dökkálfar had struck a cunning blow indeed this time.

Thor had thought he'd been protecting Jane Foster by bringing her to Ásgarðr. He'd thought, with all the havoc being wreaked on Earth, that she would be safer here. But he'd been wrong. He had played straight into the elf's hands.

He felt like a child being led into foolishness by his brother again, except this time the consequences were far worse than bringing home a flower that Mother was allergic to as a gift, or referring to the diplomat from Vanaheimr as a "bow-legged cow" in her mother tongue. Malekith had taken the one thing, the one person, who Thor would consider giving up everything for—and worst was, Thor couldn't even crush him for it.

Actually, on second thought this was exactly like being tricked by his brother. Damn.

For all Thor knew, were probably even in league with each other.

Which made Mother's suggestion all the more ridiculous.

Thor grumbled as he tromped down to the dungeons. The damned elf's magic was so strong that not even the Allfather could undo it; Malekith's power was just as ancient as Odin's own, and as deeply rooted as Ásgarðr itself, steeped in the darkness of Yggdrasil's most rotted branches. No force was great enough to overpower such a curse, which was why Mother had casually suggested using a "trickier" approach.

_Trickier_. Thor snorted.

He used the term "casually" in only the loosest sense, for she had known exactly what she was doing long before she uttered a word.

Only Mother would be brave enough to suggest going to Loki for help. Hel, only Mother would be brave enough to _visit_ Loki on a regular basis, but _especially_ this. Only she would be stubborn enough to argue for it, wise enough to actually make it sound like a good idea, and scary enough that even the Allfather caved to please her, ordering Thor down to the cells at as if his very life depended on a hasty response.

Mother was frightening. She could probably defeat Malekith with her bare hands and spare them all the trouble. Alas, it was not to be, for the foremost goddess only ever used her powers for good.

Thor grumbled to himself some more.

His feelings about his brother were mixed to say the least, but at this point he was willing to do just about anything to get Jane back. Even a repeat of that cross-dressing incident. Which, knowing Loki, he actually feared as a likely possibility.

These thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he descended into the cell block; for as he did so, he became aware of a sound very much like...

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows my sorrow..."

Singing?

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, glory hallelujah."

What in Valhalla?

"Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down... oh, yes, lord."

"Loki?" Thor rumbled, advancing to peer through the glass in curiosity.

His brother, wild of hair and looking increasingly like a bum on one of the mortals' "side walks," was sprawled across his bench with his face raised to the ceiling. He ignored Thor's presence in favor of singing like a dying Bilgesnipe; "Sometimes I'm almost to the ground... oh, yes, lord!"

"Loki."

"Although you see me going 'long so... oh, yes, lord." He rolled his head to the side with a dramatically pained expression.

"Loki."

"I have my trials here below—"

"Loki!" Thor burst out in frustration. "Be silent."

At that, Loki finally paused, prying one eye open to stare at Thor. Then he blinked and rolled his head his head back around, raising his eyebrows. "Ah, would you look at that. I wasn't expecting visitors. Did Mother send you?"

Thor restrained a weary sigh. He should have known this wouldn't be easy.

"Loki, I must speak with you."

Loki ignored him. "Did you know on Midgard they have a style of music called the 'blues'?" he asked—then grinned. "They do. Truly! Apparently it's all about how terrible life is and how depressed they are."

And he burst into hysterical laughter.

Thor frowned, growing increasingly certain that this was a bad idea. "Fascinating. Now listen. I have come to entreat you—"

"The _blues_ , can you imagine?" His laughter continued. "It must be named after Jötunheimr, for no place is more dismal than that forsaken realm! I imagine the Frost Giants would have a lot to sing about, with their home a wreck and their king dead, their only heir a runt—"

"Brother, this is not a jest! Be silent and listen!"

Loki's laughter cut off instantly. For a moment, Thor felt guilt at pulling the "brother" card so soon. That guilt faded, though, as Loki fixed him with a wide-eyed look; the most honest expression he had seen from him in a long time.

Loki opened his mouth, but Thor interrupted before he could get sidetracked. "I need your help, brother. Jane has been kidnapped."

And he went on to explain.

Loki closed his mouth and listened, intent. His expression gradually morphed from surprise to amusement, then to curiosity, incredulity when Malekith was mentioned, and finally annoyance. Something dark flared behind his eyes as Thor repeated his request, then he scowled.

"So you need _me_ to fix it," he finally summarized, leaning back against the wall.

Thor hesitated only a moment before nodding. "Yes."

Thor expected a gibe to follow. He was not disappointed, as Loki raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "You must be truly desperate to come to me for help."

Thor grumbled at the reminder, but admitted; "I am."

Loki laughed again. It was a brittle-sounding thing, not far removed from the hysterics of earlier. "Ah, mighty Thunderer! It happens again. When will you ever stop coming to me to clean up your messes?"

Thor's grip on Mjölnir tightened. "Brother, will you free her or not?"

"Yes, yes. Of course I will. That is my only purpose in life, is it not?" Loki waved a hand negligently.

Thor's already-tremulous belief in Mother's plan was starting to fracture at an alarming rate. If nothing else, he didn't think he could take an entire journey's worth of listening to his brother.

"Just promise me you'll get me a comb and some proper hair care product before we leave."

Far from amused by the situation in general, Thor did not deign to acknowledge that. Instead he said; "Know that when you betray me, I will kill you."

Loki just tilted his head and smiled.

"When do we start?"

"Right now," Thor said, and opened the cell with a sigh.

 

* * *

 

**EPILOGUE:**

"Ah, they never let me groom myself properly in that place. I haven't combed my hair in _weeks_."

"You look it," Thor grumbled impatiently.

Loki looked up from where he had been combing his tangles out for the past five minutes. He stared, then blinked. "You're just jealous because no one else knows how to do that little side-braid you like besides me."

Thor picked at his hair morosely. "No, I'm not."

With deliberate slowness, like a man being stalked by a predator, Loki laid his comb aside and leaned forward. "Do you want me to do it?" he asked carefully, watching Thor's face.

Thor glanced around at the empty cell, eyes flitting about indecisively. He looked down, then up at Loki, then quickly away. Then he cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes."

The next half hour was spent in the silent camraderie of hair care, and Thor, feeling Loki's deft fingers braid the strands by his ear, began to reconsider. Perhaps Mother had had the right idea after all.

In some ways, he thought, Loki was simply irreplaceable.


End file.
